Criminal Paradise

by Steven M. Thomas

Book Overview

Robert Rivers is a crook. No excuses, no apologies. Breaking the law is his calling, crime his rush, capers his reason for getting up in the morning and staying up late at night. But now Rob is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345497813
• ISBN13: 9780345497819
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Major page-turner

This is killer crime fiction. Fast-paced and hard-hitting. A lot of black humor along with some dynamite action scenes. Set in Orange County and Long Beach, California, it is very much in the tradition of writers like Chandler and Ellroy. The criminal protagonist, Robert Rivers is minding his own business, pretty much, doing small-time but worthwhile robberies with his partner Switch, when he gets tangled up with some really gruesome crooks who are into human trafficking and murder. When Rob sets out to rob these psychos and rescue a mute Vietnamese girl they are selling into prostitution, all hell breaks loose. Don't start this one unless you have time to finish it, because you won't be able to put it down.

Exceptional first novel

In this stylish thriller a professional crook named Robert Rivers who isn't really a bad guy gets in a war with some criminals who are very bad indeed. Rivers is assissted first by his longtime partner Switch and then by an old friend from his former life named Reggie England. Reggie, a broken down ex-biker, is at the same time the funniest character in the book and one of the darkest. The criminals Rivers and his friends tangles with are led by a psycho businessman who is involved in murder, extortion and sex slave smuggling among other things. The book is at its best in the moments of violent, realistic conflict between the two criminal groups. There is a gritty and genuinely frightening quality to the fight scenes. Thomas is also very good with his atmospheric descriptions of Sothern California, that capture the beauty and romanticism of the environment against which the sometimes ugly conflict takes place. I rate this book highly for its ability to mix some many elements so smoothly -- lyrical descriptions, exciting action sequences, quite a bit of comedy and some in-depth characterization that makes Rivers, England, Switch and many other of the people in the story come fully alive. "Criminal Paradise" is an exceptional first novel that I am sure many crime fiction and thriller fans will enjoy.

Superb, exciting fiction

I picked up a paperback of this book and was blown away by it. It is exciting, entertaining and beautifully written. I have to say, it is one of the best crime fiction books I have ever read -- and I've read a lot of them. It is hard to believe that it is Steven M. Thomas's first book. The action starts when Robert "Rob" Rivers and his partner Switch rob a restaurant in Orange County that gets them tangled up with a psychopathic criminal and puts them on the trail of a kidnapped girl who they try to rescue. The villain is one of the scariest -- and most original -- I've come across. The action scenes are great, the jokes funny, the conclusion powerful and bittersweet. I can't wait for Thomas's next novel, which is supposed to be a continuation of this one with the same characters.

An instant crime classic

In "Criminal Paradise" first-time novelist Steven M. Thomas takes us behind the glamorous façade of Newport Beach, California to discover a sordid underworld of violent gangsters involved in human trafficking and murder. Protagonist Robert Rivers is a criminal himself, but a good guy otherwise. He looks out for his friends and tries to plan jobs so that people don't lose anything but their money. Robbing a restaurant with his partner Switch, Rivers stumbles on the slave trading operation when he finds a picture of a young Asian girl along with an envelope full of cash in the restaurant safe. Concerned about the girl and curious about the money, he investigates and clashes with the gangsters. When he rescues the girl, all hell breaks loose as he and his associates battle the bad guys in Newport, Long Beach and San Pedro. Thomas' characters are vivid and original and his dialogue is superb. The story is fast paced and fun. There are moments of heart-pounding danger and excitement and other moments of lyrical beauty as Thomas brings Southern California's exotic environment to cinematic life. The character of Reggie is hilarious and Rivers' landlady, Mrs. Pilly, is very funny, too. Even though the action is intense in places and some of the characters are grotesque, the story stays grounded in realism. There are a lot of fascinating details about criminal activity and a gritty naturalism to the hardcore scenes. Some people probably won't like the epilogue where Thomas explains one aspect of the plot that would probably have been better left unexplained, but, over all, this is one of the best thrillers I've read in years. I hope Thomas brings Robert Rivers and his crew back for an encore.

Crime Fiction Paradise

Criminal Paradise is the Cadillac of crime fiction, the debut novel by Steven Thomas and lets hope there are more to come. This is serious, hard-hitting suspense at its best. The story is set in sunny southern California, primarily Orange County. It revolves around the life of Robert Rivers, a lonely, professional criminal with a good soul and enough discipline to keep from getting caught. A discovery Rivers makes during the opening heist triggers a series of disturbing encounters and events that stir up inner demons which gnaw at him until he finds himself over his head in a brutal world of underground, organized crime. The only way out for Rivers is to get what he came for.... There are a handful of classic characters in this book that I would love to see return for a sequel. Switch and Reggie are a perfect balance to the Rivers character. What I love most about this book is Thomas's knack for detail. There are several very intense moments in this book that are so realistic, they are truly scary and his use of words at several points (when Rivers is reminiscing) is quite poetic. Much more than entertaining crime fiction, I found this to be a touching artistic achievement of a novel.....sure to become one of the most claimed of 2008. I'll be looking forward to a follow up.